Dave Bakke: Remembering the Old Slave House

Saturday

Feb 15, 2014 at 9:30 PMFeb 15, 2014 at 9:46 PM

By Dave BakkeStaff Writer

Not much is known here in central Illinois about the Old Slave House. It is in Gallatin County, in southern Illinois, sometimes said to be near Junction and sometimes described as being near the town of Equality.

Equality had nothing to do with this place. The house is a tragic piece of Illinois history. It was built by John Crenshaw, a wealthy 19th-century slave trader.

Crenshaw kept people chained on the third floor, where there were cages and whipping posts at both ends of the hall. Crenshaw was indicted several times for kidnapping free blacks into slavery. But according to the law of that time, the 19th century, people of color were not allowed to testify in court against whites, so Crenshaw was never convicted. He died in 1871, one of the wealthiest men in Illinois. He made a fortune producing salt.

His house, built in the 1840s, eventually became the property of the Sisk family and was open for tours. In 1996, it closed to the public. In 2000, it was purchased from the Sisks by the state of Illinois. It is under the auspices of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which keeps a caretaker there to maintain the home.

The National Park Service recognizes the house as part of the “Reverse Underground Railroad” because it transported escaped slaves back into slavery.

The house still makes news from time to time, most recently in 2011 when a team of archaeologists from Southern Illinois University excavated the grounds to see if anything of historic interest was there. Books have been written about the house, including “Slaves, Salt, Sex and Mr. Crenshaw” by Jon Musgrave, an authority on the home’s history.

One of the Sisks, George Jr., lives in Springfield and works for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He said he was too young to know much about the old house when it was a tourist destination. It was mainly his father, who still lives in Junction, and his late grandfather who took care of the place in those days.

As a teenager, Jack Kanady of Springfield worked for the Sisk family at the Slave House. He lived only a half-mile from the house and worked there a day or two a week.

“I mowed the lawn, helped paint the outside of the building,” he says, “and one job I dreaded was sweeping out the slave quarters on the third floor. George (Sr.) always told people who visited the house that it was haunted. It took all my courage to go up there and sweep out the slave quarters.”

Knowing that, George once crept upstairs when Jack was there and started making weird moaning noises.

“I let go of that broom and was down on the first floor before the handle hit the floor,” Jack says.

The house’s reputation as haunted gets the most attention in these days of paranormal investigators and TV shows dedicated to ghost stories. It’s that third floor that makes people’s skin crawl. Journalists and the just plain curious have vowed to spend the night up there, only to end up fleeing and telling stories of eerie sounds, touches and smells. Many of those accounts have made their way to cyberspace.

Over the years, some have wanted the Slave House torn down because of what it represents. Others want it to remain standing as a reminder of the way things once were.

“I would like to see it reopened,” says Jack. “It’s part of our history, good or bad.”

Now and then over the past nearly 20 years, a state legislator from that area has tried to get the state to reopen the house. The area could use a tourist attraction. But, probably because of Illinois’ financial situation, nothing ever happens with the Old Slave House.

Know of something quirky? Emotional? Funny? Inspiring? Dave Bakke is your man and his deadline is always near. Pitch your idea to him at dave.bakke@sj-r.com or 788-1541. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. To read more, visit www.sj-r.com/bakke.